1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to computer aided designs (CAD), and in particular, to a method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for showing portions of drawing views as a “slice” in a computer drawing application.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the design of complex parts, users need the ability to show portions of Drawing Views as a “Slice” or zero-depth section. This is particularly important in industries where companies design machines to handle or interact with other companies' products. When the components have significant curvature, it's difficult to tell whether other components interfere (or fit correctly) by examining standard sketch or section views.
Moreover, where parts and curvatures are complex, it's often beneficial to be able to create a series of slices through a set of parts at specific intervals. For example, such functionality is important in the design of products where the curvature and/or profile of the 3D product at multiple positions needs to be analyzed or communicated (e.g., a boat hull design). This, again, helps designers and fabricators understand how the elements of a design fit together and work.
Section cuts, which typically show the elements both at, and behind cut elements, fail to provide sufficient clarity for complex parts. What is needed is a tool for creating zero-depth slice views and allowing multiple slices to be juxtaposed simultaneously. These problems may be better understood with a detailed description of prior art section cuts.
FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C illustrate a prior art section view. FIG. 1A illustrates a section line and FIG. 1B illustrates the resulting section view. The user has created section A-A to show how a jig clamp 102 interacts with a B-pillar component 104. The section line A-A is drawn so it passes through the center of the contact point between the clamp 102 and the B-pillar 104. The context options for the section view are set so that the components of the clamp 102 are not sectioned but the B-pillar 104 is sectioned. Since the section view (i.e., FIG. 1B) shows component surfaces and edges behind the section line it is difficult to distinguish the portion of the B-pillar 104 that is contacted by the clamp 102 (see area 106).
As illustrated in FIG. 1C, in the prior art, the user could potentially take the time to individually hide the edges that are behind the section line A-A. However, such a practice would be very inefficient and the user may accidentally hide critical edges.
Accordingly, what is needed is the capability to display the geometry of a selected component along a particular cut plane(s).